Michigan State offensive line coach Jim Michalczik works with players during the Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Expert Gives Positive Take on MSU's O-Line

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated May 6, 2025 3:16 PM ET

We're entering the dog days of the college football offseason, that awkward period between spring ball and fall camp consisting of speculation and assumptions.

As far as things go with Michigan State, it's anyone's guess what kind of team fans will get this fall after it went 5-7 last year and had some notable departures afterward.

Not to mention, this is only the second offseason of the Jonathan Smith regime, and while we know what Smith was able to do at his alma mater, Oregon State, it remains to be seen if he is the man who can turn things around for Michigan State football.

Offensively, the Spartans have two rising stars in quarterback Aidan Chiles and wide receiver Nick Marsh, a duo that has tremendous potential. What often held the Spartans' offense back last season was its offensive line, a group that was very inconsistent up front.

CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli expects that to change.

In his recent "Big Ten spring overreactions" piece, Fornelli claimed that the Spartans "have finally fixed the offensive line."

"There was a lot of hope surrounding Aidan Chiles last season, and I'll admit I probably had something to do with it," Fornelli wrote. "Chiles did not live up to that hype, though his performances were certainly never boring. Spartans everywhere hope he'll take a step forward this season, and perhaps his offensive line will help him.

"Sparty's offensive line was a problem last season and has been far too often in recent years. Jonathan Smith and company went about overhauling the unit this offseason with the addition of three likely starters in the transfer portal."

Fornelli was likely referring to offensive tackle Conner Moore, guard Luka Vincic and center Matt Gulbin.

Michigan State needed to replace its two all-conference linemen in Luke Newman and Tanner Miller, the former having been the only Spartan from last year's roster to be taken in this year's NFL Draft.

It's fair to say it did that with Moore, who was one of the top offensive tackles in the portal, Vincic, who is familiar with this coaching staff and Chiles, and Gulbin, an all-conference honoree for Wake Forest last season.

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This article first appeared on Michigan State Spartans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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